A Local Dorchester Restaurant’s Take on COVID-19

As everyone knows, the COVID-19 virus or coronavirus has caused a lot of problems in America. Because it is such a dangerous virus that spreads really quickly, our state and federal governments have passed a lot of litigation that greatly affects small businesses. Namely, restaurants have been given the choice to close down or to only offer takeout and delivery. There can be no large or small gathering of people, which greatly affects millions of small businesses across the country. As a restaurant, 50Kitchen deeply believes in the power and importance of the Dorchester & Boston community. Now more than ever, as we feel isolated from one another, we need to join together in support and in prayer.

It is vital that every business that stays open during the COVID-19 pandemic follows proper health guidelines. At 50Kitchen we have been operating limited shift hours, this means fewer employees in the restaurant and more time spent before, after, and during shifts to properly sanitize our kitchen and eating area. We are following the guidelines set by both the CDC and the state of Massachusetts. In many cases, the standard practices our staff already followed with hand-washing and regular sanitation of cleaning items were easy to adapt to these new standards. The largest changes we have had to make concern how we sell our food. In compliance with state laws, we are doing takeout only. We have taken this a step further by requesting that all customers call in advance, that way we can limit the amount of time that local customers spend inside our restaurant. This is for both the benefit of our staff as well as the Dorchester community.

We have heard from many customers how they want to help support local businesses during this challenging time. First, we are humbled by the grace and kindness of all our customers that are looking out for us and our neighboring businesses. Now more than ever, we need to work together to preserve Dorchester’s restaurants and local small businesses. Buying gift cards, following social media, sharing hours, and ordering food when possible are all ways you can support your local businesses.

If you want to get any 50Kitchen food during our city’s quarantine, please follow us on Facebook & Instagram. Our staff consistently posts our hours. We are operating under a strict limited schedule until the state of Massachusetts deems it safe for us to return to a full schedule.